Chapter 8—The letter and its hidden message

The sun set 25-degree angle from their sight; they finally saw it above the walls of Raffvet. A Golden beacon of new hope, floating mighty with the power to light up the world.

The four smiled before all quickened their pace, and the wind caused by the friction of them moving fast blew on their face, removing and catching dirt at the same time.

Ten minutes more and they arrived in front of the gate; the change in point of view made the sun disappeared again.

"Pew, we made it. Alright, guys, let's meet again when fate called. I'll do some researching now; I need it to prepare." Valor said, and the three agreed, Also nodding before bidding their farewell.

"See you!"

"I hope I'm still in for your next adventure."

"Always Rah."

They went through the gate before taking their paths to their homes. Valor ran at the corner of the streets while he watched the scenery with excitement mixed in. His feet can be said hoping, His looking forward to books of his great grandfather.

So he ran while watching children lower his age play in the streets, Jump the box and criminal chase. All are having fun as always. The adults are having fellowship in their garden while they watched their kids play.

"Such a peaceful day, I hope it last... hayys... to be free or to take the responsibility? This is troublesome."

He went through the intersection and arrived in front of their gate, made with iron. Painted blue, With an archaic design of swirls and squares. It was said to be modeled after the shell of a legendary tortoise, From The legend of the moving mountain.

"GoodDay sir!" Words accompanied with respect echoed in his ears; it came from the edge of the gate, a small pose is found there— Six meters in length, four meters in width, then two point five meters in height. The old guard can be seen on the window, looking at him with a smile. "Good morning Old Kreg." Valor said smiling and went there. Old Kreg opened the door of his pose and Valor went in, "Is my pops home?" He asked while patting off the dirt on his shoe; the guard shook his head and answered, "I don't think so, He said he'd be away for awhile, Look's like the goblins of the kuruuk forest is graver than we thought."

Old Kreg is the guard of this manor for almost twenty years. His father gave him this job when he has nothing to go to— he was given mercy when he was an outcast. So He fulfilled his job loyally since then.

Valor was saddened by what he said; he went to the table and took some slice of loaf of bread, before sitting with old Kreg at the table. "No trouble lately?" Valor asked while he chewed. Old Kreg, who was brewing coffee, pondered. "No, not really, just the same silence every day... Oh yeah, there is one lately. I hear acute laughter every 12 o clock, but nothing will be seen if I look outside." Valor's attention was intrigued.

"Really?" He asked with attention, "Yeah, It bothers me every night. Sounds of laughter, there are many actually..." old Kreg said with his old voice. He looked out the window with a deep hue in his eyes.

He's thinking something that Valor doesn't know, But he later on disregarded it and smiled at Valor, "Don't you know that there is an urban legend about that? It's what they called the laughter. It hunts every night, abducting children that don't want to sleep..." Valor smiled and lost interest. He took a mug and poured some coffee. "It's probably one of those stories that trick children into sleeping." Valor said slurping.

"Well, it may, or it may not... But here's a question Val, What will you do if someone you love was abducted by it?" Old Kreg asked him with a different aura than before. Valor thought and said to him proudly, "I'll find where they are and beat that laughter till it loses its laughs."

Old Kreg laughed and sighed, "That's brave of you..." He then muttered words without anyone hearing what he said, "What?" Valor said when he couldn't understand, Old Kreg just smiled and shook his head, saying, "Nothing."

Valor didn't mind it either and kept on eating, "That reminds me, sir, Your father left me this... He said that I should give it to you when you have returned." Old Kreg took out a folded letter from his sweater, With a seal at the side, Preventing anyone from opening it.

Valor regained his vigor when he saw the letter, He excitedly took the note from the hands of old Kreg, Saying thank you along the way. "This must be it!" Valor said happily before ripping the part with a seal, He read what's inside afterward. 'To open the hidden shelf, Stike it with the slash of lustraves.'

"Strike of the lustraves?" Valor thought out loud, and this gained old kreg's attention. He smiled and explained. "When it comes to the next path of a swordsman, the techniques and breathings they chose are fundamental. And Lustrave's strike is one of the dreamt ones; It is popularly known as the Phantom God technique— due to its very uniques strikes, It's widely feared by many. Its very description is to cut anything, which is true when it comes to those that had mastered it."

"Isn't to cut through anything is a bit... I don't know, Extensive? To cut through anything is the description of scams." Valor said with doubt, Finding it ridiculous for their family to use that kind of description, "Oohhhh, Don't doubt your family's heirloom Val. You don't know how many swordsmen will do anything just to have a wisp of power of Phantom God technique." Old Kreg warned. He shook his head with him saying that.

"Then do you have a book of it?" He asked old Kreg, eager to continue his path, But old Kreg only laughed. He shook his head once again and said. "Do you think many would desire it if it can be found in a book? Bought massively?" He asked Valor rhetorically.

"The Phantom God technique is a heritage trait Sir, Inscribed in your genes is where it lies. Those that reach high levels slightly alter their DNA, Slightly becoming different from humans to reach greater strength. And that altered genes will be passed down to the generations to come. Your father was part of the main family, Making you also be one... The Phantom God genes lie in your blood— That's why you know it subconsciously; you just need to use it and master it." Old Greg explained patiently.

Valor pondered it before asking, confused, "Then how do you find it in your subconscious?" Old Kreg laughed, with his old voice echoing in the small room. "You just need to understand it: the wisp, The intent, and the voice it murmurs." Old Kreg explained once again. Valor's face crunched, disgusted, and he said, "Yikes, That sounds creepy."

Old Kreg didn't mind it and drank his coffee. Valor also drank, contemplating. 'If it's inside me the whole time, then how can I perform an attack?... Yep, it will take me weeks to feel it.' Old Kreg noticed Valor's woes. He smiled and said to him, "The Guard's door is open Sir, Her ladyship should be taking her breakfast by now."

Valor was taken out his abstract of thoughts; he smiled and swallowed the bread left on his hand, then drank the remaining coffee. "Thanks for the meal, old Kreg." He thanked with gratitude before going to the metal door on the wall, he pushed it, and the door moved. "My pleasure, sir." The old man said, smiling.

Valor then stepped inside the property of lustrave. He looked around first before sneaking quietly. He reached the backdoor and was about to enter tiptoeing when gracious words echoed in his ears, "Oh my, I was about to kill you, thought you're a burglar." Valor looked at where the words came from and saw a well-composed lady, She should be in her late forties, But her skin looks like those of early twenties. She has black hair, amber eyes, and a curvy body.

"Aunty Bethy?" He asked, surprised, "I didn't know you were coming?" Aunty beth or Elizabeth Wingston is his mother's friend. They aren't blood-related, but he was raised to treat her as his aunt. "Yeah, our arrival was supposed to be a surprise. But I guess it didn't work out." She said disappointed. She surely has heard about this town's situation.

"You chose the wrong time aunt, The monsters of the east needs more attention than the officials had thought. A minotaur even appeared." He replied, Instantly regretting what he said, "So that's why you weren't home yesterday." She said, analyzing, "You should be at your second path then. You continued being a magic learner?" She started prying her nose.

Valor smiled and said, "Near that... Ah! Goodbye Auntie, please don't tell mom about my arrival. Don't want to get ranted early in the morning " He answered before remembering the books. He said his farewell rushing in with a few regard that made her laugh.

Valor sneaked to the hallway before rushing into his room. He went to the bookshelf and touched the wood. He sniffed the air and breathed slowly, "Yep! I don't know how to do it."

"And even if I can feel it, It would take me months to perform an attack!... Wait, Father isn't telling me about some hidden message here, doesn't he?"

Valor finding a hidden meaning sat on his butt. He looked at it, contemplating. "Should I just wait for pops? Nah, He would surely be out for weeks." He muttered words, still looking at his books, "Why are these books even located in my room?... Wait, Could it be that this was my great grandfather's room?" He analyzed.

He sighed and closed his eyes, 'A heritage trait, Innate in me. I should know how to do it— But it would take me months to perform an attack.' He said in his mind before reconciling the scene before; his father slashed on the shelf. Valor pondered and realize something; what his father did is slash— He cut unto something to open the hidden books. "It couldn't be a gurdian lock doesn't it?" He thought out loud.

There is a high technology lock that many high-ranking people use. Instead of only placing mechanical locks, The high-ranking people place guardian locks as safety measures. More likely an AI that has conditions to be met, It tightens the lock when the condition isn't met, and opening it if all are met— like it needs its master's blood to open or the mana of its master. They are invisible and are immune to most attacks, And even if killed— they will revive a few minutes later and kept doing their duties, but the lock would be opened for that span of time.

His father's slash before didn't destroyed the bookshelf; it just went through. "Is that the requirement of the guardian lock? ... Wait... No! Father doesn't have the requirement to open it! That's why he needs it to kill the guardian lock with the Phantom God technique just to have access to them." He contemplated speaking, Stopping from time to time before finally figuring it out, "Damn, locks must be worthless in the hands of Lustraves."

The Phantom God technique can cut through anything; an Invisible AI is for sure a piece of cake to them.

He then thought out loud again, "Then I just need to know its requirement. If I have that, Then I can have access to the books without using the heritage trait. This must be my father's hidden message!"